We are missional Lutherans.

You can download our full statement of faith here, the below portion is abbreviated.

Missional Lutherans are Christians who generally accept the teachings of Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) and are committed to missio Dei, i.e. the mission of God. Luther was a German theologian who realized that there were significant differences between what he read in the Bible and the practices of the Roman Catholic church. On October 31, 1517, he posted 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg University. His hope was that the church would reform its practice and preaching to be more consistent with the Word of God as contained in the Bible.

What started as a debate escalated into a distinct separation between the Roman Catholic church of the time and those who accepted Luther’s suggested reforms. “Protestant” became the name of the group that agreed with Luther’s convictions, and later they became known as “Lutherans.”

Today, nearly five centuries later, Lutherans still celebrate the Reformation on October 31 and still hold to the basic principles of Luther’s theological teachings, such as grace alone, faith alone, & Scripture alone. These comprise the core of Lutheranism:

• We are saved by the grace of God alone — not by anything we do;
• Our salvation is through faith alone — a confident trust in God, who in Christ promises us forgiveness, life and salvation; and
• The Bible is the norm for faith and life — the true standard by which teachings and doctrines are to be judged.

Missional Lutherans is not aligned with any particular denomination or organization, although those who participate and contribute may themselves be aligned with specific denominations and organizations.

We believe and confess the Apostle’s and Nicene Creeds, as displayed below:

Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again
according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge
both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together
is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one holy catholic* and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

*The word ‘catholic’ simply means “universal,” and this was the intended meaning of the early church.

Learn more about what it means to be missional. Also, keep in mind that we have three levels of affirmation for our statement of beliefs, those for partners in dialog, fellow missional Lutherans, and for authors of this site. To read the specific requirements for each, download our full statement of faith.